


The Witches' Market

by twtd



Series: The Witches' Market [1]
Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: Black Markets, F/F, Hecate's hidden past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 13:29:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17224934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twtd/pseuds/twtd
Summary: Pippa needs some astragalus extract and only Hecate knows where to get it. It leads to an adventure in a less-than-legal marketplace. Pippa learns some things about Hecate along the way when they encounter a few old friends.It took her a moment to make sure her feet were still underneath her before she looked up. Once she did, she understood why Hecate hadn't told her not to wear pink. They were standing on a platform a story up. Off to the right were metal stairs leading down to the floor of the warehouse. Stretched out in front of her was a tent city. The bazaar sprawled to fill the entirety of the warehouse, somehow taking up more space than the walls seemed to hold. The tents were a riot of colors, reds and yellows, greens and purples, golds and blues and oranges in every shade and tone imaginable. It didn't look like there were clear pathways between the tents and Pippa wondered how anyone found anything. Pippa looked on in awe."Don't talk to anyone. Don't touch anything," Hecate reiterated before she headed down the stairs. "And make sure you stay close."





	The Witches' Market

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a conversation in a group chat that eventually led to the question of where Hecate might procure some of her more obscure potions ingredients.

“Would you care to explain to me _why_ you need triple distilled extract of astragalus?” Hecate asked. It was Wednesday night, the night of their regular mirror calls, and Pippa was desperate. She hated having to use her connection with Hecate for anything business-like, much preferring to spend their small amount of time together on purely social activities. 

“Not just triple distilled. It needs to have been picked at midnight and aged for 10 years,” Pippa emphasized. The potion had called for that specifically and Pippa might not be a potions master, but she knew to substitute it for something else, even if the difference seemed insignificant, could lead to disaster. 

“Yes, none of that tells me why you need it.” Hecate crossed her arms and looked at Pippa quite seriously. 

“Is that really vital information? I'm sure you have some. Can’t I just buy it from you?” She knew she was on the verge of pouting and that pouting wasn't becoming in a woman of her age, but that did nothing to dissuade her.

“Pippa,” Hecate sighed in exasperation. “That isn’t something I just have lying around. It’s highly unstable and I have no need for it.”

“Oh.” Pippa deflated. It seemed Hecate couldn't help her after all. And Hecate had been her last hope. “Well, do you have any idea where I might find some? My usual supplier couldn’t help me.” 

Hecate rubbed her forehead. “I know where _I_ can get some.” 

Pippa cheered immediately. Maybe Hecate could help her after all. 

"Well, let me write it down and I can speak to whomever I need to speak to about it tomorrow." Pippa scrambled around for a piece of paper and a pen, ready to take down the name. Maybe this conversation wasn't entirely a bust.

Hecate winced. "It doesn't work that way. I'm afraid I'm going to have to go in person."

"You?" Pippa asked. "But I don't want to take your time up. I'm sure if you just tell me where I need to go, I can manage just fine." It couldn't be that difficult to find a shop and make a deal. She was willing to pay almost anything to get the astragalus. 

"Even if you could find Moll, she wouldn't talk to you." Hecate tapped her fingers on the table beneath her mirror. "You're certain regular astragalus extract won't do?" She frowned. 

"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't." Pippa was trying to think if she knew of anyone named Moll. The witching community in Britain wasn't that big, but she was coming up blank.

"It's a week until the next gathering. I can go and get her to quote me a price. I have to warn you though, her prices can be somewhat… unorthodox. She rarely accepts money alone." Hecate looked pensive and it gave Pippa pause. What could that mean?

But she said, "whatever it is, I'll pay it," anyway. 

"As I said, I'll have her quote her price and get back to you. If you decide it's worth it, I can go back next month and conclude the deal." Something about Hecate's demeanor implied it wouldn't be worth the price.

"Next month? It can't possibly take that long. What if I went with you?" That seemed reasonable to Pippa. She would simply accompany Hecate to wherever Moll was and they could strike a deal on the spot. 

"That wouldn't be wise," Hecate said hesitantly. 

"Nonsense." Pippa smiled brightly. "I think it's a wonderful idea. Just tell me where to meet you next week and we'll go together." 

"Is there no way I can dissuade you?" Hecate asked. 

"None at all." Now that she had a plan, Pippa was determined to see it through. Hecate looked concerned, but she was probably just being overly cautious. Hecate could be like that sometimes when she thought Pippa needed to be protected from something. Pippa had yet to encounter a situation where Hecate's worry was warranted. 

"Very well. I'll see you next Tuesday. I'll send you the details via maglet. Make sure you follow them precisely." 

"Yes, ma'am," Pippa said sharply. Now, she was sure Hecate was overreacting. Still, she would do as she was told if it meant she got what she wanted.

* * *

Pippa landed in the alley behind what looked to be a large, abandoned warehouse and peered around curiously. She didn't see Hecate anywhere. She didn't see anyone. She pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders as she paced down the alleyway. There was a dumpster and a chainlink fence at one end and various puddles from the last rainstorm through the area. She skirted around them not wanting to ruin her high heels. 

She was just beginning to worry when there was a creak off to her left. It sounded like metal rubbing against metal and she turned to see what was making the unholy sound. She was surprised to see Hecate standing in a doorway she had somehow missed entirely when she had looked over the part of the building that faced the alley. The black Hecate always wore somehow seemed blacker and Pippa couldn't see anything on the other side of the doorway, just a gaping maw of yet more black. She had a bag over crossing her body and Pippa wondered what might be in it. She worried that the pink of her dress might be out of place wherever Hecate was taking her. 

"Good, you found it." Hecate nodded and stepped into the alley. "Do you remember the rules?"

Pippa rolled her eyes. "Of course I remember them. I don't talk to anybody and I don't touch anything. I must say, they seem a bit harsh. I am generally capable of talking to people without getting myself into trouble." 

"Not these people. Come on then." Hecate waved Pippa over and held the door open for her. Pippa took a bracing breath and stepped through into the darkness. The door clanged shut behind them and Pippa jumped and winced. 

It took her a moment to make sure her feet were still underneath her before she looked up. Once she did, she understood why Hecate hadn't told her not to wear pink. They were standing on a platform a story up. Off to the right were metal stairs leading down to the floor of the warehouse. Stretched out in front of her was a tent city. The bazaar sprawled to fill the entirety of the warehouse, somehow taking up more space than the walls seemed to hold. The tents were a riot of colors, reds and yellows, greens and purples, golds and blues and oranges in every shade and tone imaginable. It didn't look like there were clear pathways between the tents and Pippa wondered how anyone found anything. Pippa looked on in awe. 

"Don't talk to anyone. Don't touch anything," Hecate reiterated before she headed down the stairs. "And make sure you stay close." 

That Pippa didn't need to be told twice. She was certain that if she lost Hecate in this crowd she would never find her again. She might not even be able to find her way out again. She stopped gawking and ran to catch up with Hecate. They plunged into the cacophony, Hecate angling her body as if to shield Pippa from everything that was going on around them. As they wound further and further into the market, Pippa became more and more convinced that there was no rhyme or reason to how everything was set up. She saw herb shops next to metalsmiths, purveyors of curiosities next to bookshops. 

"Hey, Hex, who's your friend?" Hecate looked over toward the voice and it was only then that Pippa realized the man was talking to Hecate. Hex? Someone had dared to give Hecate a nickname? And Hecate hadn't eviscerated them yet?

"She's none of your concern," Hecate responded sharply. The man, who looked to be half Hecate's age, shrugged and took a drag on something that definitely didn't smell like tobacco, marijuana, or anything else Pippa had ever smelled. 

"Just trying to be friendly," he said as he held out the blunt to Hecate. Hecate glared and he retracted the offer. 

"Be friendly somewhere else." Hecate kept glaring. 

"Right then." The man jumped off of the crate where he had been sitting, doffed an imaginary hat and bowed. "Hex, Hex's friend, I bid you adieu. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winked, backed away a few steps then turned around and disappeared into the crowd. 

Pippa giggled. She couldn't stop herself. "Well, that was interesting, _Hex_." 

"Ambrose is an insufferable child who needs to learn that he is not nearly as charming as he thinks he is." Hecate continued their forward progress. 

"And yet," Pippa grinned at having learned a secret, "somehow you're still friends with him." 

"We are not friends." Hecate was no longer looking at Pippa, instead, she was looking around as if the area was particularly familiar. 

"Tell me, do you often use mind-altering substances with insufferable children who call you _Hex_?" Pippa beamed up at Hecate. Oh, this really was too good to be true. 

"I do not. And you're never going to let that go, are you?" Hecate turned them down another path. 

"No time soon, no." Pippa took Hecate's arm. It was easier to keep up with her that way. Hecate hadn't told her that this was going to be an adventure. She wasn't sure why Hecate had been so concerned. Nothing untoward had happened thus far. If anything, Pippa was having a good time. 

As they delved further and further into the market, Pippa started to relax. She let go of Hecate's arm certain that she could keep up with her. She looked around a bit more. Something enticing caught her nose and she fell back a step as she tried to figure out where it was coming from. Eventually, she caught sight of a perfumer's tent. That had to be it. 

Something compelled her to step closer, and heedless of the fact that Hecate was getting further away, Pippa stopped. 

"Hello, my dear," an elderly gentleman said. "Care to try something?" Distantly, something reminded her that she wasn't supposed to talk to anyone or touch anything, but surely a dab of perfume couldn't hurt. She was just reaching out when a hand caught her wrist. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ambrose said as he tugged Pippa away from the tent. "Magical perfumes rarely have well-intentioned uses." The purveyor of the tent shot Ambrose a nasty look. Ambrose looked around. "You seem to have lost your tour guide."

It was only then that Pippa realized Hecate was nowhere to be seen in the crowds of people. "Damn it." 

"Don't worry, love. We'll find her again." Ambrose offered Pippa his arm and she supposed she had no choice but to take it. "So, who are you and how do you know Hex?"

"I'm Pippa and I've known Hecate since we were in school together." Pippa let him guide her through the market, careful not to let go of his arm. 

"Pippa? The Pippa? Well, that's unexpected." Pippa looked at him in question. 

"What does that mean? And how do you know Hecate?" Pippa gave him her best headmistress look but it didn't seem to quail him. 

"I've known Hex since I was a baby. She's a friend of the family. As for the other, you'd have to ask her about it." He grinned a Cheshire cat grin and came to a stop. "She'll be here in just a minute." 

Pippa looked around but didn't see Hecate anywhere. "Are you sure?" 

"Yep," he popped the P as he said it. "Just over there." He pointed in front of them and just as Pippa was about to get impatient, Hecate appeared a few feet away. Hecate obviously caught sight of them because the look of worry on her face quickly turned to one of exasperation. 

"There you are." Even though she hadn't said anything specific, Pippa already felt chastened. 

"Seems you lost something." Ambrose addressed Hecate.

"Indeed. I suppose it's good that you're so adept at finding them," Hecate said dryly. 

"The usual terms?" he asked though it wasn't really a question. 

"Indeed." Hecate arched an eyebrow. Pippa watched the entire exchange with undisguised curiosity. How much about Hecate didn't she know?

"I'll be seeing you." Ambrose turned to walk away. 

Hecate huffed. "Ambrose," she called after him. He turned and looked at her in question. "Thank you." It looked like it took a great deal of effort for her to say it. 

"No worries." He tipped his imaginary hat and walked away. 

Hecate turned back to Pippa. "It didn't take very long for you to get into trouble, did it?" 

Pippa smiled in chagrin. "I suppose not." She took Hecate's arm again. "Don't worry, I won't do it again. Something tells me I won't have Ambrose there to rescue me if I do."

"You were lucky he was there this time or we'd have spent all night trying to find each other instead of getting your extract." Hecate started walking again. This time Pippa made sure to stick close. 

"What did he mean by your usual terms?" She hated to think Hecate was indebted to someone who might take advantage of her. 

"I owe him a favor." Hecate shrugged. "I sometimes use him to find things that are particularly obscure. He had a knack for it. He won't take my money, so we trade in favors." 

"Well, I'm sorry you'll have to grant him one on my behalf. I do appreciate it though." 

Hecate sighed heavily and Pippa couldn't interpret the meaning behind it. "Don't concern yourself over it. He won't ask for anything too untoward." 

Finally, Hecate stopped in front of a purple and red tent. Unlike most of the others, the flap on this one was closed. Hecate frowned. 

"Are you sure they're open?" Pippa asked. They certainly didn't look open. She couldn't even see any light coming from between the tent flaps. 

"She's open. At least, she'll open for me." Hecate parted the flaps and stuck her head inside. She called out, "Moll?" before stepping through the flaps. She held one open for Pippa to follow her. Looking around first, Pippa slipped in behind Hecate. All thoughts of their earlier jesting were gone from her mind. 

Light from an oil lamp flared to life and Pippa squinted against the sudden brightness. Now that there was light, she looked around. The tent was full to bursting with all manner of herbs. Glass jars lined shelves along the perimeter of the tent. Barrels crowed the center of the room. Vials covered a table in the back. 

"Hecate," a voice came out of the gloom from the other side of the table. "I knew I was going to be getting an interesting visitor tonight. I've been keeping the riff-raff away until you got here. Who's your companion?" The woman looked around Hecate at Pippa. Pippa met her eyes. They were two different colors: one brown and the other bright blue. She was shorter than Pippa and whip-thin. She looked Israeli but Pippa wouldn't venture a guess as to her actual origins. Her English was unaccented. She wasn't what Pippa had pictured. 

"This is Pippa. She's come looking for some triple distilled astragalus extract." 

"She can find that down the way." Moll made a dismissive motion with her head. "Why did you come here?" 

"It needs to be from plants picked at midnight and barrel aged for ten years. Not something we can find down the way. We're hoping you can help us." Hecate looked at Moll shrewdly. Pippa wondered if her request would be enough to pique the other woman's interest. She hoped so since Hecate seemed to think this was their only option. 

"I knew you wouldn't come to me for something simple." Moll turned and started rummaging through the vials. She pulled one out. "You'll only need a few drops for your potion." She looked at Pippa then pulled out a second, empty vial and used an eyedropper to transfer some of the liquid. 

How did Moll know how much of the extract she would need? How did she know what potion Pippa was intent on making? She started to hand it over to Pippa before Hecate reached out and placed a hand on her forearm. 

"Your price?" Hecate cut in.

"Five pounds, three US dollars, a kilogram of lavender from your personal garden, a bottle of that schnapps you made in '07, and your kiss with someone you love." Moll looked at Hecate the entire time, completely dismissing Pippa's presence. 

Hecate's eyes went wide and she looked slightly panicked. She turned to Pippa. "Are you sure this is something you have to have?"

"Yes." Pippa didn't see what the big deal was. Everything Moll asked for seemed trivial. Though she wasn't aware that Hecate made her own schnapps. She was learning all sorts of new things about Hecate that night. She assumed Hecate would kiss someone at some later date. Moll wouldn't ask for something Hecate couldn't provide, would she? In any event, the thought of Hecate kissing someone else was precisely why she needed to make the potion in the first place. 

Hecate nodded shakily. "Fine. I've the money and the schnapps with me and you know I'm good for the lavender." Hecate pulled out a collection of bills and counted out five pounds and three dollars and passed them over to Moll. She opened her bag and pulled out a dusty wine bottle with a screw-top and passed it over as well. Moll smiled as she received the schnapps. She opened it and took a sniff. 

"You really outdid yourself in '07," Moll said as she took a swig. She smiled as she closed the bottle. "And my kiss?" Pippa blinked. Did Moll expect Hecate to kiss Moll? Was Hecate in love with her? 

"You won't negotiate?" Hecate asked. 

"Not for this. You'd have to go to the continent to find another supplier and even then you'd have to get very lucky. I'm not asking for much, Hecate." Moll held Hecate's eyes with her own. Hecate sighed and seemed to concede defeat. 

"Very well." She turned toward Pippa. "She…" Hecate took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Pippa wondered what was wrong. What could have Hecate acting this way? Hecate opened her eyes. She swallowed nervously. "She wants me to kiss you." Hecate closed her eyes again as if she couldn't bear to watch Pippa's reaction. 

"Oh." Oh. That was… Moll wanted Hecate to kiss her? Hecate loved her? Moll knew that Hecate loved her? Pippa's head spun. 

Hecate finally opened her eyes again. "I understand that you don't feel the same way." 

Hecate loved her. A great weight lifted off of Pippa's shoulders. 

"Shut up," Pippa said as she smiled up at Hecate. "Just shut up." She leaned in and pressed her lips to Hecate. There was nothing hesitant about the kiss. She kissed Hecate furiously like she might never get the chance again. She wasn't sure she _would_ get the chance again. Then she felt Hecate's arms come around her waist and her lips start to respond. Suddenly, Hecate was kissing her back just as passionately as Pippa was kissing her. It felt like Hecate was drowning and Pippa was her only source of air. 

Eventually, they had to stop kissing. Pippa kept her arms wrapped around Hecate. "I love you too." She pressed another light kiss to Hecate's lips only to have Hecate deepen it. Finally, Pippa pulled away from Hecate though she couldn't stop grinning. 

Hecate looked over Pippa's shoulder. "Will that do?"

"More than," Moll responded. "Though I don't think Miss Pentangle is going to be needing her astragalus extract any more, are you?" 

Pippa kept looking at Hecate in awe as she shook her head. "No. No, I won't be needing it." She had intended to use it to brew a potion to protect her heart from Hecate's inevitable rejection. Now that she knew Hecate's loved her, she didn't need the potion anymore. 

"That's what I thought. You two should get out of here. Go find a room or something." Moll poured the extract she had measured out back into the vial it had come from. "I'm keeping the schnapps though. Consider it payment for services rendered."

Pippa rolled her eyes as she hugged Hecate close. 

"Do you mind if I transfer us out of here?" Hecate asked quietly

"Transfer away," Pippa responded. The next thing she knew, she was standing on the platform just inside the door to the warehouse. "I'm fairly sure Cackle's is closer that Pentangle's." Pippa placed a kiss on Hecate's neck. "We should go back there and talk, don't you think?" 

"That would probably be for the best, yes." Hecate kept her arm wrapped around Pippa's waist as they exited the building. They hopped on their brooms and flew off.

**Author's Note:**

> I may or may not have stolen Ambrose from another show about witches. ;)
> 
> Comments are amazing!!!
> 
> I'm on tumblr @twtd11 and pillowfort at twtd.


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